Pryor is proud to be part of The Steel Man project, Yorkshire's future 32-metre landmark sculpture
Pryor is using the specially adapted Portable Laser Marking System to engrave 150000 names onto the curved panels of The Heart of Steel which is set to become part of the widely anticipated Yorkshire landmark sculpture ‘The Steel Man’
‘The Heart of Steel’ will eventually sit inside ‘The Steel Man’ - a 32 metre stainless steel sculpture which will act as a beacon for the Yorkshire region and become a landmark visitor attraction in an area that is steeped in industrial history. The Heart is 2.4m high and weighs 1138kg, and will be home to 150,000 names, all of which will be laser engraved using Pryor’s Portable Laser Marker. The Portable Laser product was the ideal choice to carry out such a project as it provides ultra-precise, high speed, permanent laser engraving on large, immobile metal objects.
Thousands of people have already signed up to add their own names, the names of relatives, or loved ones, to the Heart. Each name costs £20 and part of every donation will support the British Heart Foundation’s life saving heart research programme. To add a name to the Heart, simply visit: http://www.thesteelman.co.uk/heart-of-steel
Future names will be engraved in front of the public at Meadowhall, Sheffield’s leading shopping centre, from October 2018.
The Portable Laser will engrave 90 names in 50 seconds
The heart is made of 136 curved Inconel superalloy panels and is a complex shape. Therefore, Pryor had to develop a custom mask specifically for the Heart that enables the machine to mark the panels in a safe and secure way.
Pryor has also modified the standard software to enable complete traceability of up to 150,000 names. The software records the panel and column location of every name marked, so that each individual can locate the exact position of their inscription.
Without Pryor’s market leading Software, it would be difficult for members of the public to find the engraved names on The Heart they have funded. âThe University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) has created an interactive, touchscreen App to use the data captured by Pryor’s Software to allow people to access the location of their name on the sculpture.
Laser Marking The Heart of Steel is a Perfect Fit
Andy Hales, Project Sales Engineer at Pryor says, “The Heart of Steel project is one that fits Pryor perfectly. We were approached by the sculptor, Steve Mehdi, to laser engrave 150,000 names. As the only UK manufacturer of portable laser marking systems we are ideal to provide this service. In addition, as a Sheffield based company since 1849, we have a vested interest in the local area.
“We are proud to have developed bespoke product components and software to enable this project to come to fruition. We are also looking forward to seeing our team help facilitate the engraving at Meadowhall. We are honoured to help create a legacy for the Sheffield and Yorkshire region, as well as supporting the vital work of the British Heart Foundation.”
The project began as a simple idea to create a landmark for the Yorkshire region and Steve was keen to create a sculpture that would embraces the past, present and the future of the region.
Steve says, “Its been a massive challenge to develop a landmark artwork that truly represents the Yorkshire region, and it seemed only right that the Steel Man should have a Heart of Steel. We felt there would be a lot of interest from the public and so we came up with the idea of adding names to the Heart. For that, we needed a company that could inscribe the names, with precision and clarity. Pryor Marking have helped me previously with the ‘Tree of Life’ at Rotherham Hospice so it seemed natural that I would turn to them to help with laser marking the Heart. Pryor are a local company and one that clearly had the expertise we were looking for. From the first conversation with them, I knew we were on our way to creating the final piece of the jigsaw and one that is helping our endeavour to raise vital funds for The British Heart Foundation as well.”
